Inkwell
by PermeliaSong
Summary: The story takes place six years after the battle at Idris, as the group's lives continues to go on, a certain werewolf girl's past begins to come up
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: _I don't own the Mortal Instruments series Cassandra Clare does; I also do not own the fandom. I don't make any money off of this._

Summary: _The story takes place six years after the battle at Idris, as the group's lives continues to go on, a certain werewolf girl's past begins to come up. _

Chapter 1

Strange

She glanced over at him. He was sitting beside his redheaded girlfriend, his arm slung around her small shoulders. Clary was looking over a magazine with Isabelle, while the blond boy was looking around the room, boredom clearly written all over his handsome face. Maia Roberts hated pretty boys and she hated him. Even though the Downworlders and Shadowhunters were to be at some sort of peace. She still couldn't get past her hate for Jace Lightwood.

He reminded her of her brother, Daniel, who used to torment her doing things like pinching her and switching her shampoo for bleach. Daniel was the kind of person who was set a butterfly's wings on fire, to watch it burn and die as it flew away. The only difference between the two boys was that Daniel had dark hair and honey-colored skin, and _Jace_ was all white and gold. Every time she saw _him_, she had to keep reminding herself that Daniel was dead, and that Jace was _not_ Daniel. She sighed and shook her head, and smiled at Alec who was sitting across from her. They had been become closer after the war between Valentine and his demons.

Long ago Shadowhunters and werewolves being friends were almost as common as a Shadowhunter dating a vampire. But since the treaty, it was no longer that big of a deal. Just like no one cared as much about the fact that she was dating a vampire.

Maia smiled slightly to herself. She was excited when Simon first began to ask her to hang out. She had liked him since their first encounter in Hunter's Moon—a local werewolf bar. She had been afraid that he was still interested in Clary, however after seeing that this was not the case, she happily accepted going out on dates with him. They had been together ever since.

The two friends were sitting in the far side of the living room of the Institute, playing chess. The thought of her playing chess made her chuckle. Alec had convinced her to play; he had explained the rules and how to play the game to her.

After hours of begging she agreed. She then found that chess really wasn't that bad. But it seemed forever since her last move and all she had moved was a pawn. Alec stared quizzically at the game in front of him.

Maia sighed. If he didn't move in the next five minutes she was going to move it for him.

"What's going on here?" a bored voice drawled out.

Her body stiff up, it always did that when he was near. She glanced up at Jace who stood there looking down at the game. Something inside of Maia made her want to run away screaming.

"Having…a hard time deciding on how to make my move," Alec said stroking his chin, slowly.

Maia snorted.

Alec looked up at her. "What?"

"Nothing, I'm going to go get a drink," she said as she got up from her chair and headed towards the kitchen.

"Hey!" said Jace loudly. She turned around and look at him. The sound of his voice made her shake slightly. "What about me?"

She sighed again, thinking it would rid some of the tremors, but it didn't. "What do you want to drink?"

"A coke." He gave her a small smile that made her feel even more uncomfortable. She gave him a curt nod.

Maia could feel his piercing golden eyes on her as she walked out of the room.

* * *

Maia came back with the sodas, her heart dropped when she saw that Jace had pulled up a chair in front of the chessboard. She hadn't expected him to do that. Both Jace and Alec were talking when she walked up to them. She handed him his drink and sat back down in her chair, her leg accidently brushed Jace's knee and it made her shiver.

Maia tried hard to ignore him, looked at Alec and smiled. "Did you move yet?"

"Yes, I did and you my friend are doomed," he grinned.

She looked down at the chessboard, frowned slightly. "Well you got me."

Alec grin widened.

"Oh, wait!" She moved her rook, downward until it was only a few spaces away from his king. "Checkmate."

Alec's jaw dropped.

"Guess that means the game's over," Jace said.

Alec shook his head, smiled and then asked. "Wanna play again?" He began to place the pieces back in their rightful places. Maia's cellphone vibrated in her jean pocket. She quickly took it out and read the text message. A small smile spread across her face.

"I would love to but it's late," Maia said shoving her cellphone back into her pocket.

"Aw…you can't go," Alec whined.

"I'm sorry but it is late," Maia said as she quickly went over and grabbed her jacket off the couch.

"It's only 9:30. What's the rush?" Jace asked looking at her suspiciously.

"Rush...there's no rush," Maia said. She bid them all goodnight and headed out of the room.

* * *

She quickly removed her shirt. She kissed his soft lips again as he pushed her down on the floor of his van. She smiled as she watched him struggle with getting his clothes off. Maia began removing her bra and panties. This was their third time doing it. They would pick a time to meet and drive several blocks away from Simon's college dorm building and have sex. Sure it wasn't the greatness or the most romantic place ever but it was fun and exciting, and a lot more convenient.

Simon kissed her lips as he began to thrust roughly and clumsily into her. She moaned into his mouth. She closed her eyes and when she did saw his face.

She saw his golden hair and tawny-colored eyes. The look he gave her made her heart race. He smiled at her. Maia quickly opened her eyes and there he was. Jace. Not Simon. He was grinning; she looked down at his muscular body. Black marks covered his golden skin. She heard his panting and grunting, over her moaning and whimpering. She closed her eyes again, her back arched. Her body shook as her climax took over. Simon continued to move in her till his came.

He collapsed on top of her, panting heavily. Apart of her felt ashamed but another part didn't, which made her want to crawl into a hole and die.

"Are you okay?" he asked between heavy pants.

"Yeah," she said softly.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" Simon asked, his voice becoming serious. He removed himself off of her. She turned and smiled at him.

"As if you could hurt me," she said playfully, she sat up and kissed him. He smiled and began getting dressed.

* * *

She kissed him goodbye and watched him walk into the building. He had asked if she wanted a ride home but she declined the offer.

Maia walked down the sidewalk. It was late at night. Only a few people were roaming about. Thoughts were swimming around in her head. She felt ashamed and gross. Zipping up the thin jacket she wore, she wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't the first time it happened. It had first started off as simple, innocent dreams. Nothing serious. It had made her wonder but it didn't plague her like the sexual ones. The sexual ones were…raw and passionate. She had begun to wish she had taken that ride. The walk home was proving to become torture.

* * *

Maia was so wrapped up in her thoughts about her dreams that she didn't even notice that she had taken a wrong turn. She looked up and sighed heavily before turning back the way she came. She watched as someone on a motorcycle, slowly drove up towards her. She stopped and stared at the motorist. Their helmet covered their face but the bike was very familiar. The person reached up and removed the helmet. Golden hair dropped down, he looked at her and gave her a smirk. He was wearing the same dark denim jeans and black high-tops he had been wearing a couple of minutes ago.

Only now he had a black leather jacket on that he had received from Magnus, who brought it for him for his birthday. Magnus made some joke that Maia couldn't think of right at that moment for she was terrified and embarrassed.

"You need a ride?" Jace said finally, the motorcycle rumbled underneath him.

"N-no, I'm fine," she said wrapping her arms tighter around herself.

"It's not safe out here at night." He ran his fingers through his hair.

"I can handle myself," she said. She wished that he would just drive away.

"I bet you can," he said so softly she barely heard him.

"Well thanks," she said and began to walk, her pace quickening with each step.

"Hey!" shouted Jace from his bike, just as she reached the corner. He stopped his motorcycle in front of her. She nearly ran into him. _What did he want_, she asked herself.

"Get on I'm giving you a ride."

_Did he just hear me a few seconds ago? I said no, _she yelled in her head.

"No, I'm okay," she said clearing her throat.

"No, I insist." he smiled, "I would hate to wake up tomorrow and find out something bad happened to you. I wouldn't forgive myself and I'm sure Alec would probably kill me."

She stood there looking at the ground, half of her wanted to get on but the other half was screaming not to.

"Come on, get on...I'll give you the helmet."

She sighed and nodded, taking the helmet out of his hands. Maia climbed on the motorcycle with him; she placed the helmet on after she was securely on the motorcycle.

"Hold on me," she heard him say. She grabbed his jacket tightly, and he took off. She fell into his back, which she was trying so hard not to do. She sat up again. He knew where she lived. She had thrown a party for Simon there one time.

It wasn't that long of a ride, but she hated it. She kept falling onto his back; he seemed to think it was funny. She felt his body stiffen and shake with laughter.

He pulled up to the stone-brick building; she quickly got off the bike, her legs from stiff and sore from the ride. She handed him back his helmet.

"Thanks for the ride," she said quickly, heading to the door.

"You're welcome," he shouted after her as she disappeared into the building.

* * *

Author Note: _Okay, so I said I was rewriting this and I am. It might take awhile, because I'm also going over some of my other stories. Bear with me._ I changed a few things. _There were a lot of mistakes I made originally when I wrote this and it didn't make sense with the canon work. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: I don't own the fandom or the Mortal Instruments Cassandra Clare does. I do not make any money off of this.

**Warning**: A little sex scene at the end and hints of sexual content.

Chapter 2

"Hey!" yelled a cheerful voice behind her.

Simon walked up to her and placed a kiss on her full lips. She had waited for him outside 47 Claremont where he lived, until he finished his work. It was a sunny Friday afternoon and he was taking her to the movies. It was not like they could go to dinner since—well he couldn't and didn't eat. Maia looked at him; he was dress casually in jeans, black vans and a black shirt with the word "gamer" imprinted on it. His black hair was actually combed and it fell around his face. Maia on the other hand, was wearing a dress that her roommate, Margaret, had to force her into. It was a simple ombre braided dress, which started off as a light pink at the top but slowly faded to a deep purple near the bottom of the dress. The colors of the dress matched her brown skin perfectly; she wore black gladiator sandals on her feet, silver filigree diamond-shaped earrings and on her right arm hung six silver bangles. Of course they weren't real silver jewelry—real silver would burn her skin. Her brown hair that was usually in braids was combed and straightened out. Now it was wavy and it stopped at midsection of her back.

"You look great." He took her hand and kissed her deeply, one last time before they headed down the street.

"Why are you walking so fast?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I don't want to be late, the movie starts in 45 minutes, and I hate traffic." His pace quickened and slowly turned into a light jog. They grabbed a taxi and got in. Maia wondered why they couldn't just use his friend's van. _Ugh, what was the guy's name_, she thought to herself. Simon wrapped his arm around her shoulders, and kissed her on the forehead.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"Eh, pretty much the same, I hung out at the bar." She said looking up at him; his black eyes staring back at her. "And I thought about you all day." She knew that sounded completely cheesy, but it was true.

Simon grinned. "Did you now?" He kissed her on her lips and slowly moved down her neck, she tilted her head up giving him access. She smiled, her eyes closed slightly. She ran her hands through his hair, his soft dark hair. She smiled; she loved more than anything in the world._ My Simon, _she thought to herself. Simon was nice, kind, and extremely smart. He read and loved manga, and who was a faithful and amazing lover.

The kind of guy you would take home to mom.

Maia frowned slightly, the thought of her mom and father came into her head. She hadn't seen them in years. She wondered everyday if they were alive and well. _Were they happy or sad? Did they miss her?_ Her heart ached and she opened her eyes, and looked out the window. Life was slowly passing by; she had a good job at the Hunter's Moon bar. She had good friends, boys and girls. She had a good boyfriend but she dreadfully missed her family, even though they had took Daniel's side over hers.

The taxi stopped in front of the theater. They climbed out quickly, Simon handed the man some money. Maia turned around and smiled at him, she knew that Simon would want to see some scary movie that was rated R, and she would have to pay for it. Even though, he was really twenty-years-old, he still had the body of sixteen-year-old. _But he's extremely experienced_, she thought with a smile.

"What are you smiling at?" Simon said curiously. "Is there something on my face?"

Maia laughed. "No, you're fine."

"Well thank you, you're not so bad yourself," Simon said winking. She rolled her eyes, and went over to the window to get the tickets.

"Maia!" shouted Simon from behind her. "Maia! Look who's here!"

She thanked the woman for the tickets and turned around to see what Simon was fussing about. He waved over to her; she nearly fainted when she saw Clary and Jace standing next to him. It brought back images of the previous night in the van. Maia however pushed the thoughts out of her mind and forced a smile as she walked towards them.

"Hey," Clary said smiling, giving her a warm hug.

Maia knew Clary had past issues with girls, when she told her and Isabelle about it two years ago; both were shocked. Clary was pretty, even prettier than most girls. But the werewolf girls realized that everyone has insecurities, even she did. Maia hugged the girl back as guilt clawed at her stomach. She looked at Clary who was wearing jeans, black flats and black tank top, her bright red hair was out and it fell on her small shoulders. She held a jacket in her hands and an umbrella in the other. New York weather had been unpredictable lately, the other day it was freezing and raining, but today it was warm and sunny. _Stupid weatherman_, Maia thought.

"We were just passing through," Clary said after she let go of Maia, who was avoiding looking at Jace—who was standing next to Simon, dressed in all black. "You guys going to see a movie."

"Yeah," Simon said as he walked over to Maia to stand next to her, he put his arm around her waist, "you guys should join us."

"It can be like a double date," Clary said smiling.

"Yeah, that's sounds like fun," Maia heard Jace muttered, it seemed Clary heard him to because she shot him an icy glare.

"You two should, it'll be fun." Simon said grinning, noticing the tension but ignored it.

Clary agreed and Maia followed her to the window, where she had bought the tickets; leaving the boys to talk amongst them selves.

"You sure, you and Jace don't want to….spend some time _alone _together." Maia bit down on her bottom lip. It wasn't that Maia didn't want Clary around, it was just Jace.

"No, I think we spend _too much _time together." There was bitter hint in the tone of her voice; she turned to look at her friend. "I mean, you know we need to get out sometimes, sitting in the Institute gets kind of boring. Alec is always at Magnus's place and there is just Isabelle and her parents. And sometimes her parents aren't always there; you know they travel around trying to keep the peace. Isabelle is off….doing whatever. My mom and Luke are at Idris. My mom is busy with her art work and Jonathan, and Luke is busy with…doing whatever it is he does. They rarely call. So it's pretty much just me and him all the time. I mean the only time when we're not together is when I'm at school. " She walked away from the window after getting the tickets; she pulled Maia aside with her, and lowered her voice in a hush whisper. "We hunt demons together and everything. But…" She sighed.

"What's going on?" Maia asked, furrowing her brows.

"Jace and I haven't been…intimate in a long time," Clary said fidgeting with her fingers. "He hasn't touched me in three months."

"What do you mean I see him kiss you all the time," Maia said.

"Yeah, I know that but…I mean sex," Clary said impatiently. "I don't know what to do."

"Maybe you should…spice things up," Maia said, starting to feel uncomfortable about the topic. "Where do you usually do it?"

"In his room."

"Where else?"

"That's it. We always do it in his—our room."

"Okay, well maybe you should do it in different places."

"Ugh, that's what Isabelle said," Clary said rolling her eyes.

"Well, we're right. Try doing it in the living room, in the kitchen, or the library," Maia suggested. _Libraries are fun, _she thought.

"Well that sounds better than what Isabelle said; she wanted me to do it in a public place like in a restaurant bathroom or in the back of a car." Clary laughed.

Maia blushed and laughed nervously.

"I mean in a car there isn't any room."

"Oh, there's plenty room, especially in a—"

Maia stopped when she notice Clary looking at her. "It was only one time."

They walked out of the theater, she couldn't believe Simon wanted to see that movie, it was ridiculous. The worst part of it was that they didn't make out like they usually did during a movie. There was so much tension between Clary and Jace, that Maia was afraid to reach over to grab some popcorn; afraid for herself that if she did she would pull back a numb.

"Well, that was nice," Maia said trying to cut the silence. "Guess we'll see you guys later."

She and Simon started to walk away until Clary shouted after them. "Come on, the nights still young, let's get something to eat."

"I'm not hungry." Simon lied, he hadn't eaten in days. He did not want to feed on Maia or humans, so he drunk animal blood. It wasn't a good as human blood, but it is sustaining. The thought of blood, made his mouth start to water. Clary looked at Maia with pleading eyes.

"Clary, they probably have somewhere to go," Jace said. He wasn't looking at them but at the people walking out of the theater.

"I'm actually pretty hungry," Maia said slowly. Clary smiled. "Okay, let's go."

* * *

Maia was twiddling with her thumbs, they all had ordered except Simon who said he was going to eat later. He did not like drinking blood in front of others, especially since the last time he did, he got it all over Alec. They sat in the restaurant not very far from the Institute, where the group came all the time. Not only had they come, but other creatures of the night, who could talk openly about their lives. There wasn't any hiding about who you were from humans here. It didn't matter if you were a werewolf, Shadowhunter, fairy, or warlock. It was a place of peace, normalcy for them…plus the food was fantastic. Jace and Clary looked at their two friends. It was silent between them until Simon spoke.

"So how's school going Clary?" Simon was desperate, he wouldn't even care if a bunch of demons barraged into the place. Pretty much anything would be fantastic at that moment for him, because it would stop this unbearable silence and knife-cutting tension.

"It's…good, how about you?"

"Good, good, going good." Simon said nodding. They did not go to the same school, they rarely saw each other.

"What are you in school for again?" Jace said looking at him.

"Writing," Clary sighed; there was a little snap of anger in her voice.

Maia looked at Clary and shook her head a little. _If she wanted to get intimate with Jace, she had a better cut the hostility_, she thought to herself. The thought made her flush with embarrassment, and her stomach growled, she felt as if she was going to throw up.

"No it's okay. Sometimes I forget," Simon said jokingly, smiling. "So Jace, how's killing those demons going."

"Oh it's going," Jace muttered sarcastically.

Simon laughed. "I know what you mean."

All three of them gave him a look. "Well you know, I know what you're going through…."

Maia smiled, reached over and grabbed his hand and held it. She leaned over and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making Simon smile. Maia looked over at Clary and mouthed—when neither Jace nor Simon was looking—to copy her. Clary nodded and slid her hand over to Jace's to grab it, but he quickly moved it and picked up a pack of salt. Clary glared and shook her head. Maia sighed in frustration. The waitress came over with their food. _Thank God_, she thought. She nearly jumped for joy when Alec and Magnus walked into the place, holding hands.

"ALEC! MAGNUS!" shouted Simon, startling them and the waitress. Alec waved and smiled, and Magnus smiled shyly at the other people in the restaurant. Magnus was wearing his usual make-up but his clothes were less flamboyant; he wore all black like Jace but only he wore leather boots not black hi-tops. Alec wore jeans and a button down white shirt, and black shoes. He had major bed head. Maia smiled softly, she knew what they had been doing, it was written all over Alec's face, and he had that silly grin also. Kind of like the grin she usually had after sex. It was a grin that said "I totally just got some."

"I'm happy to see you guys," Simon said smiling.

"Really, we couldn't tell," Magnus said smartly. Maia and Simon slid over and Magnus sat down next to her. Alec sat down next to Clary. Both Alec and Magnus looked over at Maia and Simon, quizzically. _They felt the tension too_, she thought.

"What've you been up too?" Simon asked.

"Well, you know a little _this_ and a little _that_," Magnus said smiling, looking over at Alec who was blushing.

"I _definitely_ know what you mean." Simon and Magnus laughed, they had to fight the urge not to hi-five each other. Both Alec and Maia were blushing profusely. Magnus and Simon looked over at Jace, but he frowned at both of them.

"What Jace lacking in the love department?" Magnus asked, teasingly. Magnus saw the death look Clary gave him and the smile faded from his face. Alec looked at Maia who shook her head. Silence in gulfed the table again.

"What a horrible Friday evening that was," Simon said shaking his head as he walked up to her apartment door.

Alec, Magnus, Maia, and Simon tried not to run away from the Clary and Jace after dinner. It was literally hard not too. The whole dinner had been filled with awkward conversations that avoided the topic of sex. So both Alec and Jace spent the time talking about politics, which Maia thought that Jace was into.

"You're telling me," Maia said as she opened the door and walked inside. "I thought that they were going to kill each other during dinner. The way Clary was eyeing Magnus's steak knife."

Simon chuckled. "I'm scared to wonder what their doing now."

Clary looked at herself one last time before walking out of the bathroom; she headed down the living room where Jace was at. He was sitting on the couch reading a book, when she walked in. She went over stood in front of him. He looked up at her, his eyes widened; he stared at the naked woman in front of him. She grabbed the book and tossed it aside, she got down on her knees and starting unbuckling his pants. She remembered what Isabelle said when she told her about their intimacy problem.

_No talking__, Isabelle said. "__Well you can while your doing it, but that's a talk for another time._ Jace watched her as she pulled his boxers down and threw them on the floor. She got up and straddled him; he looked up at her with lust filled eyes. She kissed him and he grabbed her hips and shoved in until he was fully inside of her.

She moaned into his mouth, he wrapped his arm around her waist and stood up. Clary wrapped her legs tightly around him as he dropped down on his knees and placed her on the floor. He removed his shirt, and placed it on the couch. He lay on top of her; she wrapped her legs around him and kissed him. Their moans were heard by Isabelle who was in the kitchen making dinner. She smiled slightly, as she picked up the phone and called Maia.

* * *

**Author Note**: This chapter is pretty much the same. Just somethings things are added and fixed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series or the fandom, Cassandra Clare does. I do not make any money off this writings.

**Warning**: Foul language.

**Rated**: This is pretty much a T.

Chapter 3

"Wow…so their doing it," Maia said to Isabelle over the phone, she looked over at Simon who laying under the covers that covered his nude body. He was staring at her; she could tell he was starting to get impatient.

"Yeah, in the living room. I'm so proud! You should hear them," Isabelle said excitingly. "God, I'm glad my parents aren't home."

"Ugh, I'm not interested in hearing them Izzy." Maia said, she didn't want to hear or see them having sex. She didn't even want to think about Jace naked. Her stomach rumbled. "That's gross."

"How is that gross? People do it all the time, you do it. Don't you wonder what she sounds like? I'm mean come, it's Clary. Compared to me and you, she's the innocent one. I admit I wonder myself if she's a wild one or a quiet one." Isabelle said.

Maia had to admit too, she did wonder; Simon was a nerd but he was not a quiet lover. But she wasn't going to tell Isabelle that—at least not on the phone and the fact that Simon was in the room didn't really help the matter either.

"Okay, you know what. I'm wondering more of why your listening to them do it than why your calling me and telling me that their doing it," Maia said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Because Maia…their _doing it_," Isabelle said.

"Uh…okay. Okay, I'm glad. Now if you would excuse me, I have to go do something."

"You're hanging up?"

"Yes," Maia hissed.

"Fine, call me back when you and Simon are done having wild vampire and werewolf sex," Isabelle said. Maia could tell she was rolling her eyes.

Maia hung up the phone, and turned and looked at Simon. "What was that all about?"

"Clary and Jace are doing it."

"Wow, that's _so_ cool and exciting," he said sarcastically. "Now, can _we _do it please?"

* * *

Maia walked over to the man, holding a glass of Jack Daniel's whiskey in her right hand and a plate of hot fries in the other. The man was sitting by himself alone; his heavy black coat was draped over the chair he was sitting on. His head was down; his black hair fell on the wooden table. His shoulder shook violently and she knew he was crying—again. His name was Edward; he had a thick accent—which Maia guessed was German—and he had been there, in that same spot for the last two hours, crying over some girl named Lindsay, who apparently cheated on him with his best friend. Edward had scared most of the customers away not only from his obnoxious crying but random acts of screaming. When the customers left so did her tip, she set the glass of whiskey on the table and took the empty plate of fries and replaced it with the one that she held in her right hand. He looked up at her, tears falling from his eyes.

"Thank you," he sobbed. She nodded her head and picked up the two empty glasses that were on the table. She turned but was stopped but the man who got hold of her shirt. "W-will you…come back and talk to me?"

She smiled softly. "Sure. Just let me put these down."

"Okay," he said putting his head back down and started crying again. She sighed and walked over and handed the empty glasses and plate to Freaky Pete, who standing behind the bar talking to his girlfriend, Cheryl—who Maia hated with a passion. If she thought about it, she hated her more than Jace. Cheryl was a control freak; everything had to be neat and clean. She snapped everyone, including Bat who rarely came in anymore.

"Poor guy," she said looking over at the crying man.

"Yeah…keep giving him drinks," Cheryl said, "and go over and talk to him. Flirt with him a little."

She stared opened mouth at her. "Are you crazy? That man just had his heartbroken! He's been crying his eyes out for over the past two…" She looked down at her watch. "Three hours now!" Her temper started to flare up.

Pete looked at Cheryl, who was glaring at Maia. "Maia, please."

"Fine."

She sighed and walked over to Edward, his tears were falling on his fries as he ate them. It made Maia sick to her stomach, the man wasn't bad looking. _Maybe I can I fix him up with Izzy_, she thought.

The door of the bar swung opened, and silence suddenly engulfed the room—except Edward, whose crying got louder. She looked up and saw Jace walking into the bar. He was dressed in jeans, and he had on his usual leather jacket and black hi-tops on. He walked over to an empty table and sat down. He shrugged off his leather jacket, and placed his hands on the table. He had on a white short-sleeve shirt making the black marks on his arms and hands visible. Maia looked over at Pete; his face was bright red with anger. Cheryl frowned but continued on what she was doing. Shadowhunters were welcome in the bar, some rarely came in. But no one can forget the last time Jace was in here. He destroyed most of the bar, insulted Pete and Bat—pretty much everyone in the bar. The bar had healed but the memory of what happened that day was still talked about. Maia walked away from Edward, and went over to Jace. He looked up at her and a sly smile slowly spread across his handsome face.

"What do you want?" she said sternly, frowning at him.

He furrowed his brows, and looked a little taken back. "A drink actually, how about four shots of whiskey."

She glared at him and then went over to the bar. When she came to his table, she placed the shots in front of him.

"Hey, aren't you going to sit with me?" he asked as he down his first shot.

"Sorry, I'm busy."

He looked around the bar; it was pretty vacant except for the Edward, two girls, and a group of guys sitting a couple of tables away from them. They were all staring at them, even Edward had stopped crying.

"Come on," he said gesturing to the seat in from of him. She sighed, and took the empty seat. He pushed a shot glass filled with whiskey towards her, she took it reluctantly. They both down their drinks at the same time, the alcohol stung her throat and made her eyes water. She coughed a little. The silence continued to linger in the room. If Jace noticed he didn't act like it, he stared at Maia with extreme curiosity. She looked back, staring into his intense gaze; she remembered that Clary had always said he resembled an angel or a lion. _Yes_, she thought. _I can see how she would think lion_. His curly golden hair stopped at his broad shoulders, his tawny eyes, and golden skin. Simon—even though he and Jace were friends—said that he was _too_ pretty. _Which is true_, she thought.

"Admiring the view," he said smirking. It earned him a scowl from her. "No."

"Are you going to start trouble?" she asked looking at him. He leaned back into the chair as he looked around the room, as if searching for the answer. Then he folded his arms and placed them on the table, and leaned in slightly. "Do you want me too?" His golden eyes bore into hers; she swallowed her spit that had connected in her mouth. "No, I don't want you to."

He leaned back again, and then shrugged. "Then I won't."

"Just like that, it's that simple?"

"Just like that."

She shook her head. "You know, you're really something."

"I know." Jace smiled cockily at her.

"That wasn't some sort of compliment," she snapped.

"What's your problem with me?" asked Jace.

She started to open her mouth, when she noticed that everyone was still staring at them.

"What the hell are you guys looking at?" Maia snapped at everyone. It made the turn around quickly, she got up and took a quarter out of her pocket and put it in the jukebox; and played a random song. It filled the quiet bar. She sat back in the chair, and ran her hands threw her curly hair.

"That was nice of you." Jace smirked.

"Yeah, whatever," she mumbled.

"So, are you going to answer my question?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, what was it?"

"What's your problem with me?" His tone was serious.

"Well, where do I start….oh. Let's see you're an arrogant, self-centered, egotistical jackass. You think the world revolves around you. Nothing has changed with you." Maia said angrily. "Good-looking guys like you, think that you own the world and everyone has to bow down to you. Well, we don't."

"You think I'm good-looking?" he asked, grinning.

"See!" she said rolling her eyes.

"So you're saying you're not pretty. Hmmm….what's your pay?"

"What?" she asked looking up at him.

"How much to people tip you…guys. I mean." He was tapping his fingers on the table.

"Fifteen or twenty dollars," she said shrugging. "What's your point?"

"My point is you get that money, because you're good-looking."

"I get that money because I'm nice. Something you should try once and a while," she said loudly, putting her hands on her hips.

"No," he said firmly, ignoring her other comment, "you get that money because you got a nice rack and a great ass. Those guys want to fuck you." Her face turned red, she didn't know if it was either anger or embarrassment. The fact that she knew he looked at her in at way, made her blush harder. "Like that guy over there who has been glaring at me ever since I got in here. Probably was picturing you naked before I got here. He's hoping I'm gay or I'm some friend and not your boyfriend." She looked over at Edward who was in fact glaring at Jace.

"I…don't believe you."

"Oh, yeah." He smirked and got up but was stopped by Maia. She got a hold of his arm. He looked down at her. "Please don't. You said you wouldn't start trouble. I don't want you to and the bar can't take any more damage."

"No, I'm going to prove you wrong." He pulled his arm away from her, and walked over to Edward, who turned away from him.

"Hey." Jace said to him.

"What the hell do you want Shadowhunter?" he spat.

"Would you have sex with her?" Jace asked pointing at Maia.

"Jace stop it," she hissed.

"Well would you," Jace asked, he was losing his patience.

"Maybe I would…and maybe I wouldn't," said Edward, standing up.

He towered over Jace, who just picked up Edward's glass and drank the rest of the remaining contains, and then slammed it back on the table. Maia slowly got up out of the chair, the tension made everyone stop and look over at them.

"What's your problem," Jace asked wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Your girlfriend leave you for a Shadowhunter or something. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised; she probably got tired of you smelling like a wet dog all time."

"Hey, why don't you back off!" one of the men from the other table, shouted.

"Jace!" Maia ran over to him, grabbing him by his arm and yanking him away from Edward. "Cut it out."

"Fine." he said shrugging her off. He said something in another language to the man, apparently it wasn't good because he grabbed Jace by the neck and lifted him up.

"STOP IT!" Maia screamed angrily. She rushed over punched the man his chest, but he pushed her hard with his free hand and sent her tumbling over the table next to them. She felt hands grab her and lift her up; it was one of the men from the table. "Thank you." She looked over at Jace who was free from Edward's grasp; he stood over Edward, who was on the ground, his eyes closed. The chair he had been sitting on lay broken under him. Jace was rubbing his neck; Freaky Pete ran over to Edward and checked his pulse. "He's alive, thank God."

"Maia," Cheryl said glaring at her. "You're fired, take your Shadowhunter boyfriend and get out."

Maia mouth fell opened in shock, but she went in the back of the room to get her things, when she got back Jace had his coat on and was downing his last shot of whisky, he threw a few dollars on the table. She stormed past him and walked out of the bar door. She put on her jacket as she walked out of the door; she was halfway down the sidewalk when Jace grabbed her arm. "Hey I'll drive you home."

"I can walk," she yanked her arm way and continued walking.

"Come on it's freezing out here," he said.

"I rather freeze than spin another moment with you."

"FINE!"

It took her awhile to get home, she walked the whole way, it took some of the anger way. _He's just like Daniel_, she thought.

* * *

_Maia sat on her bed in her room reading Charlotte's Web. It was a bright Sunday morning, the sun shined through her white, thin flower embroidery curtains. She wearing her favorite light blue dress that her grandmother had given her for her birthday. She sat cross-legged on the bed, barefoot. Maia was having a nice morning, until her brother casually walked in. Daniel stood near the doorway, his hands were behind his back. She kept her head down and tried to pretend he wasn't there. He walked over to her.  
"What are you reading?" he asked. She knew he didn't care; he was just playing with her. _

"_Nothing," she replied. _

"_Doesn't look like nothing," he said. _

_She didn't reply back, just continued reading. _

"_Well…I guess if it's nothing," he grabbed the book out of her hands.  
"Give it back!" she shouted, sitting up on her knees trying to grab it out of his hand. He moved his left hand which he still had behind his back; she stopped and covered her face with her hands. But instead of hitting her, he threw something on her and it landed in her lap. She removed her hands and screamed. As a green snake slithered up to her stomach, she shrieked and jumped off the bed. As the snake fell to the floor, Daniel laughed as she ran to the corner of her room near the door. He walked over and picked up the snake by its tail before it could go under the bed, the snake swirled and hissed in his hand. He started to move over to her until their mother came into the room, followed by their father. "Daniel what are doing?" _

_Daniel looked at her. "I found a snake in Maia's room. So I grabbed it. I didn't want it to hurt her." Maia was astonished; she didn't understand how he could lie with such as straight face. _

_Their father walked over to him and carefully grabbed the snake out of his hand. "It's just a guarder snake. Harmless." _

_Their mother sighed with relief, and walked over and hugged Maia. "It's alright." Maia didn't hug her back, when she mother let go of her. She walked over to her father where they started talking about how the snake got into her room. Daniel walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her. _

"_Its okay little sister." _

_Their parents smiled, but what they did notice was how tight Daniel was hugging her. What Daniel whispered in her ear made her want to throw up. "I love you." _

* * *

Maia watched Isabelle and Clary as they tried on different clothes; they were in the _Only Hearts _store in Greenwich Village. Isabelle had called Maia up and asked her if she wanted to hang out, she had agreed. Simon was busy with his friends and their band. She was happy to get out of going to his friend's house; it wasn't that she didn't want hang out with Simon, which she did. It was that, she thought most of his friends were—dumb. _Well most of them anyways_, she thought. Plus she really didn't want to be around guys right now. The Hunter's Moon incident still hovered in her mind; she had called Freaky Pete and tried to ask for her job back. It seem that he was about to say yes, until Cheryl screamed no. Maia met up with Isabelle and Clary at the Institute, Maia didn't go inside but wait outside till they came out. She didn't want to see Jace. The girls went to Chinatown where Maia and Clary had never been. They went to dozens of shops, they hadn't even stop to eat lunch. Maia stomach growled at the thought of lunch, she sighed loudly and looked at the people around the room. They had been shopping all day and she was tired. She was tired of watching Isabelle and Clary come in and out of fitting rooms, and the Shadowhunter girls would always ask her the same questions over and over again. _Do you like this outfit? How about this one? Do these make my legs look short? Does this dress make my butt look big? Do I look pretty? Is this sexy? Too revealing? Dorky? Boring? _Maia's answers at the beginning started were long sentences, now they were only one-worded answers. Mainly, she would only use two words; it was either yes or no.

Maia turned away and looked out of the large windows of the store; she smiled slightly as she watched two kids chase each other down the sidewalk. Her eyes caught a woman in her mid forties walking across the street. She wore a long black coat; her brown hair was up in a bun. She had brown hair and honey-colored skin. Maia's heart was racing, she didn't know when she had stood up, but the next thing she knew, she was out of the store. She headed towards the woman.

"Mom," she shouted. "MOM!" But the woman had turned the corner, and without a second thought Maia ran after her. She pushed through the crowd of people, not bothering to say excuse me. She received lots of hateful glares but she ignored them all, as she pushed forward.

"Maia!" shouted a voice. She turned head to see Jace sitting on his motorcycle, looking at her curiously. Maia turned away from him, and continued running down the street. Only the woman was gone, she had disappeared in the large crowd. She screamed out in frustration. The people around her looked at her strangely but walked pasted her. She bent over and put her hands on her knees, her heart was beating rapidly; she thought it was going to burst out of her chest. She felt warm, strong hands on her arms. Maia turned stood up quickly, and turned around and looked at him.  
"Maia, are you okay?" she heard the concern in Jace's voice. It almost made her laugh. _How could someone like him care_, she thought. He didn't care, he couldn't; she slapped him hard across the face.

"What the hell are you doing here? Why are you always here! Because of you, my mom is gone! You ruin everything! First you get me fired, and you don't even apologize! You don't care about anyone but yourself! God, I hate you Daniel!" she shouted at him. She pushed him aside and ran away from him, back the way she came. She wrapped her arms around herself, she had been in such a hurry, and she had forgotten her jacket in the store.

When she got back, she sat back down in the spot where she originally sat; she glared down at the floor.

"Hey?" she looked up to see Clary looking at her. She was wearing a strapless blue dress. "Where did you go?"

Maia shook her head, looking back down at the floor. "Nowhere. Just need some fresh air. That dress looks great on you."

"Thanks," Clary said. Maia could tell she was blushing. "Come on try something on."

"Ugh, no thanks. I should really save up my money until I get a new job."

"I can't believe you quit," Clary said. "Why?"

Maia didn't tell anyone what really happened, she didn't even tell Simon. "Just not the job for me, I guess."

"I bet you'll find some other great job, that'll be more fun and exciting, "Clary said staying optimistic.

"Thanks Clary," Maia said, she didn't lift her head. But she was grateful for Clary; she just wished she would get another boyfriend. One that wasn't such an asshole.

"Hey, Jace over here!"

Maia didn't look up, she frowned and sighed. She heard them kiss and then Clary said. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey!" Maia heard Isabelle yell, this time she did look up. Isabelle came out of the fitting room and glared. "I thought we agreed on no boys."

"Oh relax Izzy. I'm not staying long; I just came to tell you that we are all going out to dinner. All of us. Clary's mom and Luke are in town."

Clary and Isabelle squealed with excitement. "I'm going to call Simon."

"Ugh…Clary. He can't eat." Isabelle said.

"Don't worry, go ahead and call him," Jace said looking around the store. A group of girls who had been looking at him, turned and giggled. Maia rolled her eyes, her frowned deepening.  
"Great!" Isabelle said clapping her hands. "You know what this means, more shopping."

When Maia finally got home, she was worn out from the day. She wasn't up to going to dinner at all. She wanted to see Luke but she wasn't up to it, she didn't want to pretend to be happy when she wasn't. She had too many things on her mind. Plus, it wasn't like she was actually invited. Jace said _we_. Meaning: him, Simon, Clary, the Lightwoods, and Magnus. So she didn't have to go. She sat her bags down on the floor, and collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

_Knock, knock. _Maia groaned and sat up on her elbows and looked over at the clock. It was 7:30. She had been asleep for thirty minutes, it didn't seem long enough.

"Yeah," she yelled, sitting up slowly.

Margaret opened her door. "Clary and Simon are here to see you." Margaret's wavy brown hair was up in a bun. She had on her reading glasses and her pajamas which was just her boyfriend's over sizes tee-shirt. Maia frowned and then nodded; she got up and walked into the living room. Clary was wearing the blue dress she had on in _Only Hearts _and Simon was dressed in jeans and a button down blue shirt.

"Hey! What are you doing! Why aren't you ready?" Clary asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Maia stared at her blankly. "What?"

"Dinner," Clary said frowning. "Did you forget? You were invited."

"I was?" Maia said.

"Yes, when Jace says we. He means all of us." Clary's face was bright red with anger.

"Oh, look Clary. I'm not feeling well." Maia lied.

"Are you okay?" Simon asked walking over to her.  
"No, my stomach and throat hurts." Maia said. Simon touched her face, and nodded.

"You do feel a little warm." He looked at her in concern. "I'll stay with you."

"No, no. Go and have fun. I'll just make some medicine and go to bed."

Simon hesitated for a moment and then nodded and Maia looked at Clary whose anger was gone and now was replaced by disappointed look. Even though that day, Maia had been a little short with her. She had been trying to make it up to Clary, for picturing Jace having sex with her instead of Simon. _I can't believe I did that what was going on in my head,_ she thought. Simon hugged and then kissed her on her forehead. "I'll call you." And with that both Clary and Simon left the apartment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Mortal Instruments or the fandom, Cassandra Clare does. I do not make any money off this writing.

**Warning**: A non-sexual or consensual scene between siblings.

**Rated**: On the safe side, I'm going to rate an M for this.

Chapter 4

A harsh and loud cough came out of her mouth; she zipped up her black hoodie, wrapping her arms around herself. After pretending she was sick, Maia woke up the next day with an upset stomach and a sore throat, she had been in the bathroom for a whole fifteen minutes throwing up. After she was done, she cleaned up and went back to bed, getting under the thick covers. After she had slept for hours, she woke up. Her head was spinning and her stomach gurgled, she groaned and sat up. She picked up her cell phone and glanced at the screen, it read: seven missed calls. Two were from Isabelle, three from Simon and two from Clary. She sighed and got up; she grabbed the blanket that sat on the wooden chest in front of her bed.

Maia walked to the living room and went over and sat down on the soft, large gray couch, which five people could sit on comfortably. The living room was a little bigger than the kitchen. Maia looked at the plasma screen television, which was sitting on top a black stand, a foot away from the front door, on its left. A zebra rug (which didn't go with the room at all but Margaret liked it) was on the floor in between the glass coffee table and couch. Wooden table with four chairs sat behind the couch. If she thought about it, none of the furniture went together. But hell, at least they had some. Pictures of friends and family (well, Margaret's family) hung of the wall. Tiny sculptures of unicorns and glass balls sat in the curio cabinet on Maia's left. The walls were painted moss green color.

She turned on the television, and Project Runaway played on the screen, she shook her head. She couldn't deny that she liked this show. Isabelle and Clary, even Jace watched it. The thought of him made her angry._ He's the reason why I'm sick_, she thought. _Or is he_, said a voice in her head. She shook her head, trying to get rid of the thought of him.

"Hey there Sleeping Beauty," Margaret said as she walked in. She was in her pajamas and her hair was up. Her boyfriend, Seth was behind her, he was wearing only his boxers. Seth had short dark hair and blue eyes; he was at least six feet tall. He was lean and muscular. He came and sat next to her. "Hey, Ice Queen." Maia rolled her eyes. She had gotten that nickname the first time she met him, she had screamed at him for walking in on her in the bathroom. She had a hunch he did it on purpose. _How could he not hear the shower? _

"You want me to make you some soup?" Margaret asked.  
"No thanks," Maia said coughing.

"Can I have some soup?" Seth asked smiling. Margaret made a face and walked into the kitchen.

A knock came at the front door and Seth looked over at Maia.

"Are you going to get that?" he asked.

"SETH! Get up and get the door, you jerk! She's sick!"

"Yeah, she's sick not handicap."

"Answer the door!"

Seth looked over his shoulder at Margaret who was standing in the kitchen; there was a large rectangular hole in the kitchen wall. If you were in the kitchen you could see the living room, and vise versa. He got up and muttered something under his breath. Maia smiled slightly and looked back at the TV. She loved it when Seth got yelled at.

Seth opened the door. "Yeah, who are you?"

"I'm here to see Maia," said the person. Maia looked up from the TV. _Jace_, she said to herself. She immediately starting fixing herself up, she had no idea why she was doing. But she did, she made sure that she had no crust in the corner of her eyes. She ran hair fingers through her hair, to straighten it. She pinched her cheeks to make them redder; she had no idea if it actually worked. She read in books were a woman would do that to bring color to their faces. _Or something along those lines_, she thought.

"Wait a minute! You're a Shadowhunter!" Seth said loudly, he still hadn't let Jace in.

"Wow, your observant," Jace said smartly. Maia could tell he was getting annoyed. She wrapped the blanket around herself. "So are you going to move out of the way or not dog?"

"Jace, be nice." Maia heard Simon's voice and smiled widely. He pushed past Seth, who stumbled back in shock. Simon looked at Seth and shook his head, he straightened his clothes. He was wearing jeans, black vans, and a striped blue shirt. He looked at Maia and then grinned. "Hey, beautiful." He walked over to her and bent down and kissed her.

"You're so sweet." She replied.

She heard a noise that sounded between a snort and a grunt; the couple looked over at the source, Jace stood next to the cabinet looking at them. Maia scowled and kissed Simon on the lips again. "Ignore him."

"I always do," Simon said hugging her. Jace frowned and turned away from them.

Seth began to close the door, but was stopped by a foot. Isabelle shoved the door opened, sending Seth into the wall again. Isabelle came in carrying a blue Tupperware container, Clary followed behind her. The girls were wearing dress, Isabelle's was red and Clary's was purple and pink. Isabelle placed the container on the glass coffee table and went over to them. She pushed Simon out of the way, and wrapped her arms around the werewolf girl, and so did Clary. Maia smiled and blushed, trying to hold her laughter as Simon got up and glared at both of the girls.

"She's my girlfriend," Simon said to Isabelle and Clary when they let go.

"So that doesn't give you the right to hog her," Isabelle said placing her hands on her hips.

Simon rolled his eyes, he started to sit next to Maia but Clary got their first. He stared at her with his mouth gaping opened. Isabelle laughed and picked up the blue container. Seth began to shut the door, but again was stopped. He groaned loudly as he opened the door widely so the person could enter. Maia's heart jumped and she smiled. "Luke!"

The pack leader walked over to her, he was dressed casually in a button-down blue shirt, jeans, and a pair of brown sandals. He had on his usual glasses and his blond hair was untidy. He was still muscular and lean; he had gotten a little taller. He walked over to her and hugged her. She squeezed as hard as she could; he laughed and patted her back. Seth grumbled and shut the door, but not before he stuck his head out to make sure no one else was coming.

"I was sad not to see you at dinner," Luke said sitting next to Clary on the couch. "Thought you hanging out with Allan and forgotten all about me." When Luke left New York for Idris, he put Allan in charge of the werewolf pack in his absence. Allan was nice and kind; he was also a strong and tough leader. But Luke was still her favorite leader.

"I didn't know you were the jealous type," Maia teased. They everyone laughed except for Seth and Jace.  
Isabelle tapped Maia on the shoulder; she turned away from Luke to look at her friend.

"Soup," she said holding up the container. Apart of her wanted to ask if she made it but she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings.

"I didn't make it!" Isabelle said loudly, glaring at her. As she walked into the kitchen, Maia saw Margaret trying to hold her laughter. While both Luke, Simon, and Clary sniggered.

"Can I have some soup?" Seth asked as he walked into the kitchen "I think I'm feeling pretty sick right now."

Maia shook her head and then turned back to her friends.

Their stay wasn't long, everyone talked except for Jace who for the first few minutes stayed next to the cabinet and looked around the apartment. Then he started watching Project Runaway, he was so quiet Maia forgot he was there until he stood up and told them they had to go. Everyone hugged her before they left, except Jace. He was the first one to head out of the door followed by Clary, then Isabelle, and then Simon who kissed her on the forehead before he left. Luke stayed behind for a few moments.

"Freaky Pete told me about what happened at the Hunter's Moon. Jace got you fired," Luke said to her. She quickly looked away and stared down at the floor.

"Yeah, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Cheryl hates me, I think she was going to fire me anyways, Jace just helped it along."

"Why did you tell everyone you quit?" Luke asked.

She sighed. "I don't know. Sounds a lot better than telling everyone I got fired, and then I would have to tell them why."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, but is the real reason because your covering for Jace?"

"Maybe."

"Why," Luke asked. She looked up at him. "I don't want people yelling at him."

He nodded. "Did he apologize, at least?"

"No, he didn't."

He sighed. "I'll talk to him."

"No!" He looked at her strangely. "I-I just want to give him a chance to do it. I haven't really been talking to him."

Luke rustled her hair, and she smiled. "I want to see more of you before I leave."

"I promise."

He smiled and hugged her tight, it took a while to decide if she wanted to let go. "I'll see you soon." And with that he left.

* * *

_Laughter and music filled the house, it was New Year's Eve and her parents were having their annual New Year's Eve party. Her mother went all out making cookies, a cake, and other foods. The Christmas decorations were still up, and so was the tree. The difference was that there weren't any presents under it. The adults were in the living room laughing, drinking, and toasting. The TV was on and it was turned onto the news were they were waiting until 12:00 a.m., when the ball would finally reach the top. The adults' children were in the spare room/play room, where they were watching cartoons and eating snacks. Maia however, was standing outside the living room watching the adults laugh and drink, she listen to their obscene and dirty jokes; until her mother who was dressed in a flowing red dress, saw her. She went over to Maia and shooed her away. Maia sighed and walked up the stairs. She didn't want to go hang out with the kids, so she decided to go to her room instead. She wore a white strapless dress that her mother brought for her Christmas; she was beginning to think that it was for the party. Her curly hair was down and it touched her shoulders. She headed towards her room when a hand across her mouth, she screamed but it was muffled by the person's hand. She was shoved into the closet near by. She panted; she heard a click as the light came on. Daniel stood in front of her, smiling. She should have been excepting this; he hadn't done anything to her in two weeks. Maia figured he found some poor animal to torture. She felt bad for being happy and she prayed that God would forgive her and hoped that poor animal went to heaven. She leaned back against the wall, putting some space between them. He stepped forward till he was nose to nose with her._

"_Are you enjoying the festivities?" asked Daniel. _

_Maia could smell the alcohol on his breath. She didn't answer his question, she knew better. He reached out and pulled her hair from her face, his touch made her shake in fear. He placed his hand on the back of her neck and stroked it slowly. Daniel reached down on the ground and picked up a bottle. The word "Martell" was written in gold letters. _

"_Drink it." _

_Maia shook her head. He took the hand off her neck and slapped her in the face. "Drink it." She took the bottle from him and drunk it. The syrup-colored liquid stung her throat, she coughed and he took it from her. She wiped her mouth with her hand. _

"_Kiss me," he said staring at her. _

_She looked back at him in awe. She never kissed a boy, she almost did but she chickened out. But now, he was asking to kiss her, she didn't even want to talk to him or share a house with him. Now only that but it was wrong and disgusting. "W-what?" _

"_Kiss me," he snapped, he didn't like repeating himself. "On the lips." _

_She started to cry, which earned her another slap this time it was harder. "Do as I say or I'll beat you to death. And do it with you eyes opened." _

_She sighed as her body shook with fear and her stomach groaned. She leaned in slowly, and placed her lips on his, she kept her eyes opened. He didn't respond he was blank, she pulled away fast. _

"_I bet you enjoyed that…didn't you," he said smirking. "You're disgusting." _

_He opened the closet door and walked out. She fell down on her butt and brought her knees up to her chest, and hugged them as she cried. _

* * *

Maia tied her hair in a ponytail; she wore a purple-plaid shirt with a black tank top under it, jeans and black converses. She felt better, her throat was a little sore but she took some medicine a couple of minutes ago and she had some cough drops in her pocket just in case. She was heading to the Institute, she promised Luke she would come. She turned off the light and walked out of the bathroom. She opened the to her apartment door and was shocked to see Jace standing there. She sighed and walked out of the apartment and locked the door behind her. Maia could hear his footsteps behind her.

"So you're going to ignore me," he said. She didn't answer. He grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him; she fell into his hard chest. She struggled against him. "I'm trying to apologize, so will you stop struggling." She stopped and looked at him. "I'm sorry for getting you fired."

Silence came. "Is that it?"

"What else is there?" he asked furrowing his brow.

"The other day when you distracted me," Maia said.

"That wasn't my fault," he said angrily as she tried to get out of his strong embrace. "Will you stop wiggling?"

"Will you let go of me," she replied back.

He held her for a moment and then released her. She started to walk away until he shouted. "Who's Daniel?" She stopped, her body tensed up. "That's none of your business."

"It is my business," he said, "it's not fair for you to push your hated feelings that you feel for this guy onto me."

"Your right," she said as she held back tears, "it isn't."

"So who is he," he asked.

"Daniel is my brother," she said looking at him. "He used to abuse me."

Jace asked her did she want a ride, she agreed. She didn't feel like waiting for a bus or taking the subway. She placed the helmet on her head and got on, wrapping her arms around him. He took off. She held onto him tightly, much more than needed. She couldn't help but feel his abs through his shirt. Not knowing that she was doing it, she placed her head on his back. They remained quiet the whole way which was easier for the both of them. When they walked inside they went straight to the living room where Luke, Allan, Jocelyn, the Lightwoods, Magnus, Simon, and Clary all sat talking and laughing. Clary, Isabelle, Simon, Alec and Magnus were sitting on floor on Maia's far right, talking. Luke and the other adults were sitting on the sofas discussing something in hush whispers. Luke looked up at them and a smile began to spread on his face until he saw the grim looks the two of them had on their faces. He excused himself and walked over to her, Jace had gone over and sat in a chair near Clary and the rest of her friends and stared at the floor.

"Is everything alright?" Luke asked folding his arms.

"Yeah," she said smiling slightly. "Just pretty out of it, medicine has me a little drowsy."

Luke didn't buy that at all but before he could say anything, Allan walked up to them and hugged Maia. Allan had short dark hair, pale skin and bright blue eyes, he was in his mid-thirties. He wore a black shirt and jeans, boots; he was a very handsome man, he was about Luke's height. Luke looked at him. _If I didn't know any better_, he thought to himself. _I'd think that he liked Maia. _

Maia blushed, she couldn't help it. He was always nice to her and he never wanted anything in return. He ran the pack well, Luke had picked a great person to step in his place.

"Hey," she said smiling.

"I heard you were sick," Allan said.  
"Yeah, but I'm feeling better now," she said. Luke frowned at a little and said "Simon's over there. We'll talk later."

She looked at him and nodded, she said goodbye to Allan and went over to sit by Simon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Mortal Instruments series or the fandom, Cassandra Clare does. I do not make any money of this writing.

**Warning**: This is rated M, for language and violence.

Chapter 5

Jace lay in his bed staring up at the ceiling, Clary laid beside him asleep snoring softly. But sleep wouldn't come for him tonight; _her_ words hunted him in his mind. _Daniel is my brother, he used to abuse me. _Her voice echoed. _Was that what I am, an abuser_, he thought. He thought of what she said at the bar. "_Let's see you're an arrogant, self-centered, egotistical jackass. You think the world revolves around you. Nothing has changed with you." _He frowned and turned over on his side, his back facing Clary. He thought about what he did at the bar. _Okay yeah that was a dick of a move, but that guy shouldn't have been glaring at me. What was he thinking standing up for himself? And then he had the audacity to push her_, he thought his frown deepening. "_But you should have let it go,"_ said a voice in his head. And for once he agreed with that voice, he shouldn't have wasted his time and energy. He sighed as the thoughts turned back to what she had said in her apartment hallway. _Daniel is my brother, he used to abuse me. _The words angered him; he knew what it was like to be abused and the thought of someone abusing his friend. "_Friend_?" said the voice._ Simon's girlfriend, Clary and Isabelle's friend. Maybe, but not yours; she hates you. _Jace's heart sank; he laid there in silence for a moment.

Then a thought came to him, slowly and cautiously, so not to disturb Clary, he climbed out of the bed. _I know how to make her like me_, he thought. He got up and threw on his Shadowhunter gear, he grabbed his stele, and four blades; two were the length of his forearm. He grabbed his black traveling bag and placed three blankets, a few clothes, another blade, and a few dollars from his secret stash, and a book that he had been reading. Jace went into the bathroom and grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste, and a wash cloth and towel, and placed them into the bag.

He grabbed a flashlight and slowly creped out of the room. He used the flashlight to guide him to the kitchen where he put four water bottles and some granola bars in the black bag. On the whiteboard Simon had bought for them, Jace wrote:

Going on a trip, will be back in a few days.

When that was done he headed out of the Institute.

* * *

Margaret walked over to the front door, thinking that who ever this was, better have had a great explanation for waiting her up at 3:30 a.m. in the morning. She scowled as she opened the door; she looked at the blond boy strangely. He was dressed like he was about to head into battle.

"Do you know what time it is?" she grumbled.

"I need to see Maia," he said.

Margaret paused and then spoke slowly. "She has a boyfriend." She watched him as he blushed. "No, I came for something else."

"Again, she has a boyfriend."

Jace frowned. "I'm not talking about that!"

"Marge, who are you talking to?" asked a tired voice from behind her.

"Your Shadowhunter friend is here, the blonde one," Margaret said over her shoulder. She moved away from the door, and Maia replaced where she had been standing a few moments ago. She looked at Jace curiously. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm taking you to see your parents," he said firmly.

It didn't take long for Maia to get dress, she brushed her teeth and her hair and threw on a pair of jeans and a shirt she had wore before she went into battle Valentine and his demons, and her navy blue converses. She grabbed her traveling bag, and placed a tooth brush, toothpaste, hairbrush, some clothes, and a pair of sandals inside; also a washcloth and a bar of soap. She didn't want to smell bad when she saw her parents. When she was done, she head out of her bedroom.

* * *

_Maia walked in her backyard after getting herself a cherry-flavored popsicle from the refrigerator; it was a hot summer day in New Jersey. She walked around the yard; her parents were at the next door neighbor's house paying a visit. She didn't know where her brother was and she didn't care. She stopped in front of the old shed, the red paint was faded and it looked more like a rusty orange color. She looked at it, the door was slightly ajar, and she furrowed her brows. They had never used the shed so she had no idea why it was opened. She heard a faint squeaking sound coming from the inside. Maia looked around and then looked back at the shed, she walked towards it and opened the door and let herself in. Her gut feeling was telling her to walk away but she ignored it. Maia saw her brother squatting down, his right arm moving fast. She saw a dog lying in front of him; blood was pour from its body. _

"_What are you doing?" she asked, half shouting. _

_He jumped up and turned around; he held a small bloody army's knife that he had gotten from their father in his right hand. Daniel looked at her and then relaxed, and sighed. _

"_Nothing, go back in the house," he said casually. _

_She looked down at the dog, it was covered in blood, and it had large cuts on its body. Its arms and legs were bound with rope, she then look at Daniel. "What are you doing to that Mrs. Madison's dog?" _

_He picked up a towel that was lying on the floor and wiped the blood of the knife and his hands. He then walked towards her; she stayed rooted in that spot. He stopped when he was a few inches away from her, a smile spread on his beautiful face. He took the popsicle that was now melting out of her hands and licked it. _

"_Nothing," he said and then walked out of the shed. _

_She walked over to the dog, which was lying helplessly on the floor. Maia stood over it. It stared at her, it was in complete agony. The way it was whining, it was like it was pleading—begging to be taken out of its misery. Its blood was slowly spreading across the floor. Tears fell from her eyes, as she looked at it. Maia didn't know what to do. After a few quick minutes of thinking, she looked around the room, a sharp piece of metal was on the floor, and she picked it up and killed it. _

_Maia ran into the house and went into the closet and got one of the family's old blankets, they didn't use. She went back to the shed and wrapped the poor animal up and when it got dark outside, she took it and placed it on the back porch of its owner. All night she laid awake, it wasn't until morning that she finally fell asleep, only to be awoke by the heart wrenching scream of her next door neighbor. _

* * *

Maia woke up, it was still dark outside, her heart sank; she had been asleep for only thirty minutes. She remembered that day and how her brother was so casual and carefree; he slept like a baby that night.

She lay on the ground in the woods; a blue blanket that Jace had spread out on the ground was under her. Another blanket that she had tossed off of her was lying beside her. She rolled over on her back and looked over at him. He was wide awake leaning against the tree behind them, he looking at her.

"What were you dreaming about?" he asked. They hadn't talk at all since the ride up there; it wasn't until now that she realized that they never really talked. Clary, Simon or Isabelle were always there to keep the conversation going. There first real conversation was at Hunter's Moon.

"Nothing," she said turning her eyes away from him.

"Was it about him?" he asked.

She paused. Apart of her—a small part, wanted to keep everything inside and not tell Jace. But the other large part did. He had driven her all the way down here, apparently he cared some or he wouldn't have done it. "Yes."

"What was it about?" He moved back on the blanket and lay next to her. They both looked up at the starry night sky.

"Him killing a dog," she said, her voice was empty with emotion.

"What?" he asked.

She told the story of the first time she found out about his hobby of killing animals.

"What else did he do?" he asked curious.

"Pinch me, switch my shampoo for bleach, threw a snake at me, punch and slap me, and kiss me--"

"He what?" Jace said sitting up quickly. He looked down at her, his brows were furrowed.

She took a deep breath and exhaled. "He would kiss me."

"Did he do anything else?" asked he.

"Yes."

"Did he have sex with you?" he asked.

"No," she said shaking his head quickly. "He would just touch me and kiss me. He had sex with the neighbor's daughters, him and his friends."

"He had friends?" Jace asked in disbelief.

"Everyone has friends," Maia stated, not looking at him. "He had two. James and Tyler"

"What age were you?" he asked. "When he kissed you?"

"14 and it ended around when I turned 15," she said still looking up at the sky.

"What happened, did you tell your parents?"

"Yes and no, in ninth grade he broke my wrist and I told my parents that he did it, they didn't believe me. So I ran away, and then they found me and took me back home and then he stopped the touching and then started the physical beatings again. And then when I was in tenth grade he got hit by a car," she said, and then she burst out laughing. He looked at Maia strangely.

"What's so funny?" he said. It wasn't that he felt sorry for the bastard, he deserved what he got, but her laughter shocked him.

"It's just that….everything that he did," she said as she wiped the tears of laughter from her face. "He gets hit by a fucking car….its just too good for him and when his funeral came, I didn't cry. I was happy, I still am…and I feel awful for it."

He agreed with that getting hit by a car was too good for him.

"You shouldn't feel awful," he said.

"Well I do," she said.  
"Valentine was my step-father. He abused me," he said, she turned over and looked at him when he said this. He was playing with his hands, "verbally, mentally, and physically."

Silence engulfed around them except for the sound of frogs crooking and the crickets chirping.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

He chuckled. "Why do people say that?"

"Well, when people say that, they mean that their sorry life wasn't good to you." she explained, shrugging.

"Well, I'm sorry," he said looking at her.

Silence came again. He looked away from her and stared at the trees.

"I wanted him to get sick from some disease, and die slowly and painfully. I wanted him to _suffer_," she said finally. He looked at her, as she sat up. "Getting hit by a car was…_nothing_." She paused and he waited for her to say something, she didn't meet his gaze, just kept her eyes down. "You know he used to put bugs and things in my drawer. And he would—" She paused again, taking a deep breath. Jace reached out and took her shaking hands in his warm ones.

"It wasn't before long that he got tired of the animals and went towards me. I never told my parents him hurting me until he broke my wrist, because I try to fight back."  
Jace frowned, he felt sorry for Maia and for the poor animals that were tortured and killed. _Valentine and Daniel have something in common_, he thought. _Abuse. _He stopped his thoughts and looked at her.

"What about Jordan?" Jace asked. This time she did look up at him. "Clary told me, he changed you into a werewolf."

"Yeah, after he saw me with some guy. The first few months we dated were great…he told me I was beautiful," she said softly. Jace wanted to tell her that she was. Fear that she'll stop talking to her made him thing twice. "Then the last few months were a nightmare. He was possessive and controlling. He would get really angry, and then he'd hit me. When I tried to break up with him he pushed me down in my own front yard. The next day, I let him see me kiss another guy, to make sure he got the point that it was over. Then that night, walking home he attacked me, and bit me. Then I woke up in my room with twenty something stitches, my mother was standing over me. I remember him saying "_You're mine now_." right after he did it. Then the next full moon I changed….not as great as a lot of people think." She said the part with humor.

"What happened to him?"

Maia shrugged. "I never saw him again. He and his parents moved away."

"How do I remind you of them, Daniel and Jordan?" he asked softly.

She looked at him. "God…I'm so sorry, Jace."

He shook his head as he played with her fingers; he was still holding her hands. "Its okay, tell me."

"Well, Jordan because your good looking. Daniel….when I first saw you in Hunter's Moon. You reminded me of Daniel from the way you walked, your lean body, and your total confidence in your own attraction," she explained. "And you're savage like amusement."

_Was I really that bad_, he thought. "Do you think I'm like them still?" he asked.  
"No," she said and let out a sigh.

"What's your deal with good-looking guys?"

"Beauty is confused with innocence and harmlessness. Like Daniel, no one would believe a good-looking kid like him was or could be a horrible person."

He looked at Maia; she looked at her curly brown hair, her deep brown eyes, her perfectly shaped nose, and her full lips. She was beautiful, but life had beaten her down and made her think she wasn't. He looked down at their hands that were intertwine, the way her brown skin contrasted off of his golden hands that had black marks on the back of them. He wondered what she would look like naked sprawled out on his red sheets in his bedroom.

"You're beautiful," he whispered to her, looking into her eyes.

"No I'm not," she said softly, turning her head away from him. He reached out and took her by the chin and turned her head back towards him.

"Yes you are," he replied. Maia pulled away and looked down.

"It's late, we should get some sleep." She laid back down the blue blanket, and turned on her side closing her eyes.

* * *

"Why would they go to New Jersey?" Luke said as he paced up and down in the Institute living room. It had been two days since Jace and Maia took off, everyone was concern especially Luke. Jocelyn and Jonathan had left and went back to Idris. Luke stayed behind; he wanted to be there when they came back, so that he could scream at them. Simon had been so anxious that he could barely pay attention in school; he wondered what had to be so important that his friend and girlfriend got up, and left the state for. He bit his lip and watched Luke pace the floor. Clary was sitting on the couch with Magnus; they both had blank looks on their faces. Alec and Isabelle went out demon hunting to take their minds of Jace and Maia.  
_I'm going to kill them when they get back_, Luke thought.

Then he stopped, and slapped his forehead with his hand. He knew. He sighed and sat down on the couch across from Magnus and Clary.

He knew why they were in New Jersey, Maia's parents lived there. He suddenly felt old. His heart sunk in his chest; he knew the out come of the visit wasn't going to be great.

Jace drove for hours until he reached Princeton, New Jersey. It was a nice ride; he loved it when Maia finally put her arms around him. He sighed and drove, when he saw a gas station he pulled up and parked. He knew she needed to stretch her legs and so did he. He needed to know the directions to her parent's house.

He cleared his throat. "So…where's your parents house?"

"Up the street to the left," she said in a matter of fact tone, as she got up off the bike, and grabbed her bag. "I'll be right back."

While she was in the bathroom changing clothes, he got some gas for his bike. He missed his demon motorcycle. _Maybe you should take her for a ride sometime_, said a voice in his head. He blushed and smiled.

"You're smiling," said an amused voice.

He turned and looked at Maia; she wore a spaghetti strap purple dress. Her curly hair was up in a ponytail and she wore brown sandals on her feet.

"You look great," he blurted out.

She looked stunned at the compliment. "Ugh…thanks. I should go on trips with you more offend."

He rolled his eyes, and smiled.

He stopped in front of her parent's house, which was a white house with blue shutters, and a garage, and an iron fence in the front. The green grass was cut and the colorful flowers were weed less. The tree that stood on the far left had leaves falling into the next door neighbor's yard. There was a blue mini van in the drive way. It was a nice neighborhood, children ran around chasing each other. He heard music and he turned and saw a white truck with a large ice cream on top. Their screams and laughter filled his ears. They both got off the bike; he looked over at Maia who slowly took of the helmet. She looked at the house nervously. He took the helmet from her, she sighed and started to walk up the concrete sidewalk, he followed behind her. He nearly bumped into her when she stopped abruptly.

"What?" he asked glaring at her slightly.

She turned and looked at him; tears were forming in her eyes. "I…can't do it."

"Why?"

"I'm scared, what if they don't want to see me," she said.

"There your parents, Maia."  
"What if they don't believe about Daniel abusing me?" she asked.

He grabbed her by her arms. "Of course they will you're their daughter."

She looked at him and smiled. She wrapped her arms around him. His body tensed up, and then it slowly softened. Jace hugged her back, patted her head. "Go."

She moved away from and walked up the steps, and ranged the door bell.

* * *

**Author Note**: I fixed some things in this chapter but its pretty much the same.


End file.
